Mail-bag crane.



No. 696,257. Patented nar; 25,1962..

c; J. uonnvALL. Y

IIAIL`BAE CRANE. v

(Appiimion med on 29, 1901.) (No Modal.) Y

UNITED STATES.l

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. NORDVALL, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.v

MAIL-BAG CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,257, dated. March25, 1902. Application filed october 29,1901.Y serrano. 80,440. (Nomodel.)

.LU tol 1071/0711, t indy concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES J. NoRDvALL, a citizen of the UnitedV States,and a resident of Evanston,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented a new and Improved Mail-Bag Crane, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates toimprovements in cranes for holding mail-bags toAbe taken up by a mail-catcher on a passing train; and the object is toprovide a crane that shall be light yet strong and durable and in theconstruction of which old railway-rails may be utilized, thus making thecost comparatively small.

I will describe a mail-bag catcher embodying my invention and then pointout the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mail-bag crane embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 shows one of thebag-holding clips employed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a post or standard, andpreferably a railwayrail will be used for this standard,and when a steelrail is used the temper should be somewhat drawn, because by so doingtherail is less likely to be broken or checked by cold Weather. To preventswaying motion of the standard when seated in theground, I may provideat its lowered anchor-plates 2. Y

vSecured to the topof the standard is a boxing 3, in which ismounted toswing the upper bag-holding bar 4, and also arranged in this boxing isa' pulley 5, over which a chain 6 passes, the said-chain 6 beingattached at' one end to the free end of the bar 4, and the other endpasses downward at the rear side of the standard and is provided with aring 7 for engaging with a pin or lug 8 on the standard. Plates 9 areattached to the opposite sides of the standard below the boxing 3, andto the forwardly-extended portions of these plates 9 is pivotedthe lowerbag-holding bar 10, While between the portions extended rearward of thestandard is arranged a pulley 11, against which the chain 6 engages, thechain of course passing between the two plates 9, as clearly indicatedin the drawings. For the sake of lightness and strength the bars 4 and10 arev made of tubular metal.

As a means for disengaging the ring 7 from the pin or lug 8, as will behereinafter described, I employ a tripping device consisting of a rod12,bent to substantially U form and having its opposite members engagingagainst opposite sides of the standard and passing through openings inthe base-anges of the standard. The forward endsfof the members lweb ofthe standard. Below the splatform a foot-rest 18 maybe arranged.

Attached to each bar 4-10 is a bag-holding clip consisting ofspring-yielding jaws 19 20, which are curved outward from the shankportion 21, and at their free ends are curved inward and then outward,as clearly shown in Fig. 3. These clips have ring portions 22 forengaging with eyes 23,attached to the bars. Rings 24, attached to theend of the mail-bag, are designed to be engaged in these clips, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2, and .obviously when pressure is'brought to bear on thebag by the catcher on the train engaging therewith the said rings 24will be readily released or drawn Vout of the clips.

It will be noted thatthe members forming the shank 21 are closedtogether, so that the clips will be prevented from accidentaldisengagement from the rings on the arms; but said members may be spreadsufliciently by pressure to pass the clips on or off the rings.

In operation the catcher on the mail-car of a train by engaging with themail-bag will release it fromthe supporting-bars, permitting thelowerbar 10 to fall and strike against the plate '13, thus moving thetripping device rearward to force the ring 7 off the pin or 111g 8, andthenthe upper bar 4wi11 fall to its downward position, as indicated indotted IOO lines in Fig. l, offeringno obstruction to other passingtrains that might possibly strike against it should it remain in itshorizontal position.

A mail-bag crane made in accordance with my invention is obviouslysuperior in every respect to one made of wood, and it can be made atabout the same cost, because of the fact that otherwise discarded railsmay be employed for the standard.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A mail-bag crane, comprising a standard consistingof a railway-rail, anchor-plates on the lower portion thereof, a boxingsecured to the upper end of the standard, a bag-holding bar mounted toswing in said boxing, a pulley in the boxing, a chain extended from thefree end of the bar over said pulley and down the rear side of thestandard, a pin or lug on the, standard with which the end of said chainis designed to engage, a tripping device movable on the standard, and alower bag-holding bar mounted to swing on the standard and to engagewith said tripping device to operate the same, substantially asspecified.

2. A mail-bag crane, comprising a standard, bag-holding bars mounted toswing on said standard, means for holding the upper bag-holding bar inits horizontal position, means f or releasing said holding means, andaplatform attached to the standard, the said platform consisting of twosections bolted to gether around the standard, substantially asspecified.

A bag -holding crane, comprising a standard, a boxing secured to theupper end thereof, a bag-holding bar mounted to swing on said boxing,plates secured to the standard below said boxing, the said plates havingforwardly-extended portions and rearwardlyextended portions, a.bag-holding bar pivoted to said forwardly-extended portions, a pulleyarranged between the rear extended portions, a pulley in the boxing, achain passing from the upper holding-bar over said pulleyin the boxingand against the first-named pulley, a pin on the rear side of thestandard with which the lower end of thel chain is designed to engage, atripping-rod having members engaging at opposite sides ofthe standardand passing through openings in the rear portion of the standard, aplate connecting the forward ends of said members and adapted to beengaged by the lower bag-holding bar, a platform below said trippingdevice, and a step below the plat-form, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. NORDVALIA.

Witnesses:

THOMAS J. NEvINs, ANDREW ANDERSEN.

